Pain Medicine Program recognized with national Centers of Excellence Award

A doctor and patient discuss an appropriate course of treatment, including pain management.

Posted April 28, 2010

UC Davis Health System’s Division of Pain Medicine has been designated as a Clinical Center of Excellence by the American Pain Society. The award, which provides a three-year designation, recognizes quality pain-care programs that offer outstanding treatments and therapies for patients suffering from chronic pain disorders and acute pain after surgery or trauma, as well for people in palliative care settings who face pain from cancer and other terminal conditions.

The Division of Pain Medicine offers comprehensive and collaborative patient care, extensive education, innovative research and a strong commitment to patient advocacy and improving public policy. Known for taking on the most difficult cases of acute, cancer-related and chronic pain in adults and children, UC Davis pain-treatment specialists work with patients and their primary-care clinicians and referring physicians to provide vital continuity of care for individuals coping with chronic pain. They also emphasize education and training for health-care providers at all levels to increase awareness about the variety of pain treatment options.

“Our view is that most effective pain management is treatment and care that increases function, decreases pain and ultimately enables our patients to regain control of their lives.”
— Scott Fishman

“Being designated as a center of excellence is the highest recognition that a pain center can receive nationally, and it is a particularly special achievement because our program was one of the earliest academic centers to incorporate clinicians from all disciplines and clinical services to fully address the pain-care needs of patients,” said Scott Fishman, professor and chief of the UC Davis Division of Pain Medicine. “We’ve achieved successful outcomes for patients because our clinical pain-relief team approaches each case from a very diverse and experienced perspective.”

About the UC Davis Division of Pain Management

The UC Davis Division of Pain Medicine provides a multidisciplinary approach to achieve the most effective management of pain. A core team of pain specialists — anesthesiologists, internists, psychiatrists, psychologists and physical therapists — ensure continuity of care through a consultative team approach, working closely with primary and referring physicians to explore all possible avenues to pain reduction and recovery.

After an initial assessment, a specially tailored treatment plan for each individual is designed, emphasizing personalized, compassionate care. For more information, visit the division’s website.

“Our view is that most effective pain management is treatment and care that increases function, decreases pain and ultimately enables our patients to regain control of their lives,” added Fishman. “That is our definition of success, and it is something we strive for in every case.”

Established in 2006, the American Pain Society’s Clinical Centers of Excellence program showcases progressive teams of health professionals who address critical, and sometimes unmet, needs in pain management within their communities. A hallmark of excellence among pain programs is success in helping patients to improve function and quality of life, according to Charles Inturrisi, a professor of pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and president of the American Pain Society.

“The awards honor pain care teams for delivering optimal and exemplary care for those with myriad chronic-pain disorders, post-surgical pain, trauma-induced pain and pain from cancer and other life-threatening conditions,” said Inturrisi. “By treating the whole person, not just the pain, award recipients like the UC Davis Division of Pain Medicine prove every day that integrated, multidisciplinary pain care yields the best long-term outcomes, medically, psychologically and socially.”